The world’s largest fast-food chain is partnering with Barking and Dagenham Council in a crackdown against littering.



McDonald’s has said it plans to extend litter-picking routines to within almost half a mile of the popular store on Ballards Road, Dagenham – seven times the distance normally covered by the restaurant.



The new agreement will tidy up roads and bushes in the area, including the A1306 New Road, and will even see McDonald’s staff litter-picking fast-food packaging from people’s front gardens.



The area is cleaned weekly by the council’s street cleansing team, but the new agreement means McDonald’s staff carry out litter picking duties four times a day in a bid to tackle complaints from residents in the local area.



**Cllr Darren Rodwell was confirmed as Leader of the council for the third time, and he has now named his Cabinet for the new administration. The announcements are all subject to formal ratification at Assembly on 25 May 2022.



Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “We’ve been clamping down on grime crimes for some time now, so we’re delighted to have the support of a busy local restaurant that recognises the importance of a cleaner, tidier borough.



“Dropping litter is not only an offence, but also a disgusting habit and one that people should feel ashamed of doing. We will always take action against anyone we catch doing it.”



Helen Palmer, who runs the restaurant in Dagenham, said: “At McDonalds, we have been carrying out daily litter patrols around all of our restaurants for 40 years, but we’re keen to make sure that these litter patrols fit the needs of the community. This year we launched our Keep it Clean campaign and we’re delighted that we will be extending our litter patrols in Dagenham as part of that campaign.



“As part of the campaign we have also partnered with LitterLotto an app where people can upload a picture of them binning their litter and win cash prizes. I hope that this will encourage people in Barking and Dagenham to join us on our journey to help Keep it Clean!”



Littering is a criminal offence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and anyone caught dropping rubbish faces a fixed penalty notice of £150.



The council launched the Wall of Shame in 2018 as a way of shining a light on fly-tippers and litterers and has so far led to fines totalling nearly £20,000 being issued.